Who makes the lowest distortion speaker drivers

Any way you look at it, a driver running at low power will have less distortion than a driver running at high power.

While keeping an eye on other compromises (cone break-up, cabinet size etc), larger more efficient speakers will have less distortion than, say, a 4" driver moving 10mm p/p absorbing 100w+.

That said, high-efficiency PA speakers have a wide range of performance. I'd take a low-efficiency 7" midbass with lots of copper in the motor and a really nice cone/suspension over a high-efficiency cheap 10" PA driver. An expensive PA driver will likely have less distortion than either for a given power input.

Chris
 
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Most people are talking about harmonic distortion when discussing driver distortion. In my opinion, and what I've read from some industry pros is that harmonic distortion in a decent modern driver operating within their intended range does not correlate to user preference.

IMD may play a huge role in listener preference but there is no standard for measurement and can have infinite combinations.

Klippel measurements are a step forward in characterizing other non-linear driver issues but it's hard to interpret as an uneven BL curve doesn't mean it's not linear as most assume.

Then there is time domain distortion....

My point is it is way more complicated then a simple hd sweep...

I like the engineering and ideas that go into SB flagship drivers....

I'd chase excellent power response over ultra low distortion any day!


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Hi Chris,

I've looked over a bunch of HD sweeps and I do not see a correlation between sensitivity and distortion all else equal.... Maybe this is generally accepted and unknown to me? I can agree in at high SPL where the motors are getting hot and compression kicks in. Otherwise do you have a source or evidence of what you are saying? Just would like to know for my own learning


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In my mind, the distortion effects I care about most:

1. Compression
2. Stored energy / resonances that keep the driver in motion after the signal has stopped
3. Doppler from the woofer's reactive energy moving the baffle in the Z axis.
4. Intermodulation distortion between drivers - Woofer to Tweeter caused by the pressure wave of the woofer moving over the tweeter.
5. Harmonic distortion.

Did I miss anything? Now can you sleep? :)

Best,



Erik
 
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Nightmares?

Enjoy this lullaby...:D

http://www.gedlee.com/downloads/The Perception of Distortion.pdf

" It is the perceived sound quality that matters not the
measured quality – unless that measurement has been
scaled and correlated to subjective perception through
valid psychoacoustic tests." E. Geddes

Any guy armed with a tester is not necessarily a scientist, probably quite the other way, simply one more terrorist...:D
 
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Just took a look at the JBL M2 monitors........holy phuk! Got to hear those somehow.

Good interview with Frank Filipetti on YouTube about them. He was apparently the first to take ownership of a pair and he says they are a 'game changer'.
They are expensive, but when I win the lottery.................................!
 
Just took a look at the JBL M2 monitors........holy phuk! Got to hear those somehow.

Good interview with Frank Filipetti on YouTube about them. He was apparently the first to take ownership of a pair and he says they are a 'game changer'.
They are expensive, but when I win the lottery.................................!


Game changer? Are you posting from a casino? And if those were cheap, would you even matter posting...:rolleyes:

Battery chargers, i wan one of those...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jG6P-xtmYzw
 
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I heard the M2's at AES last year as a part of their atmos setup. My ears were not overjoyed. They would do great in a venue setup properly at a good distance but I wouldn't replace a home front end with them or anything. Crisp is the nonsense audio word I would associate with them.....


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I'll eat my words about the M2's. They were part of a multichannel demo with other speakers at the same time. If the polar response is as good as what JBL published, they are probably very very good at imaging. As an LX521 owner, I'm intrigued by the off axis response of that horn....


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The 10"-18" Acoustic Elegance speakers produce low harmonic distortion measurements.
The TD15M 15" midbass has lower measured distortion than the Altec 416, but it is not uncommon for Golden Ear designers to favor the timbre of Altec 416's AlNiCo motor.

JBL's Differential Drive woofers also generate low harmonic distortion measurements because the motor design cancels some non-linear suspension effects. Differential Drive motor tech is too large and expensive for lower cost and smaller size midbass/midrange.
 
Ive heard many pro audio drivers with super low HD and reasonably clean impedance plots that sound honky and resonant

Then you have good ribbons with poor HD in the lower frequencies but performance in the higher frequency that make you never want to use a dome again

HD is the red herring of speaker design.

The sheep have been led astray!